Recommended Timing of Study Abroad
The Office of International Education generally recommends that students interested in a semester or academic year abroad plan for junior year, because of the flexibility of the 300 level General Business core. First semester senior year is also very feasible academically. Some students may have enough course flexibility to study abroad during second semester sophomore year. We encourage students to see an advisor in the Office of International Education to discuss study abroad opportunities and plan academically early in their academic career.
Consider Your Semester Preference
Keep an open mind for fall OR spring study abroad. Semester preference is NOT guaranteed. Applicants must explain the reasons for their semester preference on the application. While we aim to accommodate the semester preference for as many students as possible, no semester is guaranteed. Students applying to programs in very popular countries should be aware that semester preference may be difficult to accommodate for all qualified students.
Course Prerequisite
If you apply to study abroad on a semester program, you must have taken and passed, or be currently enrolled in, any one of the following courses by the application deadline:
GLOBAL STUDIES: 101, 102, 110, 114, 116
Or, for students planning to study in a country whose language is taught at Bentley, you may select instead:
MODERN LANGUAGES: Any elementary, intermediate, or advanced course. Students are strongly encouraged to choose a course in the target language.
NOTES:
There is no course prerequisite for summer or faculty-led programs.
GLS courses that are US Government courses are not listed above because they do NOT satisfy the prerequisite. Students who have already taken an International Studies (INT) 100 level course are not required to take any additional GLS course to fulfill the prerequisite. INT 100 level courses remain eligible to fulfill the prerequisite although they are no longer on offer at Bentley.
AP or transfer credit for any of the courses listed above IS acceptable to fulfill the prerequisite.
Major Declaration Requirement
Students must declare a major prior to submitting an application for semester study abroad.
GPA Requirement
A GPA of 3.0 or higher is strongly recommended for all programs. Many of our partner institutions require a minimum 3.0 GPA for acceptance. Applicants with a GPA below 3.0 should meet with a study abroad advisor to discuss program options prior to submitting an application. A GPA of 2.5 is the minimum for consideration.